As interactive music games put ever increasing demands on players in terms of all the equipment they are forced to acquire, the hassle of assemblage, the wires, the lost components, and simply the space needed, developers at Mad Catz have come up with a practical solution in an attempt to alleviate some of that stress. The Mad Catz Rock Band Portable Drum Kit is basically a scaled down version of the Rock Band Drum Kit where every feature has been minimised for easier storage and increased mobility.

The kit is currently going for just £11.65 on MyMemory - the cheapest currently price available – but remember that you need to enter the discount code MYGIFT10 when checking out in order to bring the price down from £12.95.

Scaling down the physical form of the Rock Band Drum Kit whilst not sacrificing too much in terms of its durability and functionality was a difficult balancing act which Mad Catz have persevered to get right. Despite the fact that this kit looks fairly flimsy and almost as though a few strikes with the drum sticks would batter it to a pulp, it’s actually surprisingly resilient. The pads have apparently been tested to withstand a million strikes whilst the pedal – although it looks fragile – has a good feel and is remarkably tough.

The main problem with this system is regarding the pads. On the Rock Band Drum Kit, the drum surfaces were nicely spaced out and also, like a normal drum kit, positioned on a slight incline. However, regarding the pads, you are forced to lie them down on a flat surface like a coffee table which doesn’t really give you the same feeling of authenticity. Overall, even though the kit is portable, it’s a bit more awkward to use than the full on Rock Band version. This is could be a good deal if you’re really short on space, but unless you and your virtual Rock Band are planning to go on tour, you’d probably be better of splashing out on the full version.